Because of You
by Beautiful Revolution
Summary: He had given up on life, having lost all faith in the world that lay before him. She had nothing but a broken past, and a fading hope for her uncertain future. Together, they will discover that second chances often come to those who least expect them.EOW
1. 1

_Well, that's the last of it._ As Alexa Miklos made her way through the dark streets of Paris, she contemplated her current situation. No money till the beginning of next month, a good week and a half away. Nothing more to sell, after just having traded her silver cutlery for the vile of medicine which she now carried in a small market bag. No job positions available for her to obtain a second paycheck. Nothing. _Oh well. We have managed before, we can do so again._

Lost in her thoughts, Alexa failed to notice the man following her. She did not hear his footsteps falling out of rhythm with her own, did not see his shadow creep up the sidewalk along side her. She did, however, feel the weight of her package pull down uncomfortably on her wrist, and looking down to adjust it she saw him out of the corner of her eye.

_My God, _she thought_, what do I do? How long has he been there? Oh, please God, don't. Not now. Don't do this. _She searched the road ahead of her, looking for a way out of this hopeless situation, being careful not to change her step so as to not alert the man behind her that she was aware of his presence. Alleys lined the streets on either side, but they were no safer than the streets; if anything, they were worse. No stores to go into for shelter: they were all closed. _Damn! This is my own fault…why did I have to come out so late? I should have known. God, I should have known. _But as she quietly berated herself, her reasons became very clear…Luka. He needed the medicine. _God, please help me. For him._

Suddenly, not far ahead, she spotted a man stepping out of the shadows, and not daring to waste this opportunity Alexa darted up to him, grabbed his arm, and kissed him on the cheek. She was shocked to find the touch of his skin cold on her lips, like ice.

"Here you are! I've been looking for you for ages!" she exclaimed to him in apparent joy. The man, caught off guard, saw her pleading eyes and, looking over his shoulder, understood her dilemma and joined in her charade.

"I'm sorry to worry you, my dear. I just had a few things I needed to attend to. Please don't be angry with me; I can't stand it when you are angry."

"Well, alright. But please do not do it again."

He laughed, the sound of it made Alexa's heart skip. _What a beautiful voice_, she thought. "Promise.-" He continued on in a surprisingly jovial tone, talking about nothing and yet it seemed that he could go on forever. _Thank you. Oh God, thank you!_

She had been keeping her eyes ahead of her, not daring to believe what she had just done to this poor man, but as she heard him continue to speak, she looked up to see who her savior was. But when she turned her gaze to him, she was startled to find herself not looking at a face at all, but instead a white mask that glittered in the moonlight. Her breath caught in her throat. _Who is this man?_

As he continued talking, he casually glanced over his shoulder, pleased to find that the young woman's stalker had turned heal and was now walking the other way. He stopped walking and looked down at the girl who had so brazenly approached him. "I think you are safe, my dear." He noted her eyes, how beautiful they were. He could not place the girl's slight accent, though. _Definitely not Russian_. _Romanian, perhaps_.

"I am so sorry, Monsieur! I… he was there, and I... you came out and…"

He continued to stare down at her as she tried to explain herself. "It is quite alright, mlle. I completely understand. It is a very vicious world we live in." She barely heard the words he spoke, too captivated by his eyes to focus on what he was saying. _Those eyes, like an emerald blaze_. She saw in them something she could not quite place. Sadness, maybe? No. It was so much more than sadness; this man knew intimately the 'viciousness' that the world possessed, and it was then that the contempt in his voice became clear to her. Her heart went out to this man who had undoubtedly saved her life. _It is always the ones who do not deserve it_, she thought.

"Yes, it is."

His eyes continued to hold hers, and she found herself overwhelmed by the man before her. The mask that covered the right portion of his face was a stark contrast to the handsome visage that stared down at her, his dark hair falling across his forehead. Catching herself staring, she cleared her throat, trying to excuse herself by saying, "Well, God bless you for what you did. You will never know how your kindness has saved me. I can never repay you." With that, she took his hand between her own and kissed his palm, doing her best to show the gratitude she felt. She looked up into his eyes one last time, and walked away from him.

He was caught off guard by her reaction, not expecting her to go out of her way to touch him again after she kissed him to save herself from being attacked. _She saw the mask, kissed it, even._ Yet she touched him again, held his hand, _kissed_ him. _Who was this girl?_ He watched her walk away, then turned towards his home, a place he had just moments ago thought to never see again. But as he walked away, an uncomfortable feeling settled in him. Knowing the dangers of a city at night, he was aware that such an attractive woman was more than susceptible to the advances of drunkards and lunatics roaming the streets. Sighing at his conscience, he turned back to catch up with the girl.

"Wait! I cannot let you walk home alone, unescorted. I insist upon accompanying you, to see that you are home safe." With this, he matched his stride with hers and looked at the street ahead of him as they walked.

"Is that so? How am I supposed to know that you are not just like that man back there, and behind this gentleman façade is a rather disreputable villain?" She raised her eyebrow in mock argument, trying to make light of the situation that she could have been raped, or worse.

Seeing that her banter was a joke and not indignation, he smiled to himself and replied "Oh my lady, please. I believe we past this point after that scandalous kiss of yours." She laughed at this, her voice ringing throughout the street. _What a beautiful laugh_, he thought. _Very appropriate, for such a beautiful girl. _But even after soliciting such a response from her, he was slightly shocked at his own bold quip. Even more surprising, he found, was her good-humored acceptance of his joke. Few women would have tolerated that from any man.

"Alright. You win." She looked down at her feet, his presence a comfort to her. "I am Alexa Miklos, by the way." After he hesitated for a moment, she inquired, "Is there a name that I might call you?"

"Erik," he sighed. He looked down to see her looking up at him, her blue eyes searching his own. "Just Erik."

"Just Erik. It is a good name, a strong name."

He smiled, "Thank you. I noticed, earlier, that you are not French…" He did not want to pry, knowing all to well how unwelcome some questions could be, but his curiosity about her got the best of him.

Her quiet laughter filled the air once more as she answered, "No, not French. Hungarian. I have only been in France for two years." Erik was impressed by this information, for her speech was only slightly accented, her French nearly flawless. He told her so.

"Thank you, I suppose. I guess I am just a fast learner. One has to be able to learn things quickly in order to survive, I have found." He searched her face for any sign of jesture, but found her eyes cast to the ground, eyebrows furrowed together. _What has happened to you? _He thought.

"Yes, this is very true," he commented quietly. Not much was said after this. Erik looked around him at the neighborhood they were passing through. The buildings were modest, but it seemed that it was a fairly upstanding part of Paris. "Do you live near here?"

"No, it is quite a ways further. If you have somewhere to be, please do not let me keep you. I will be able to make it on my own. Please. I will feel terrible if you go out of your way any more than you have already."

"Please, you are not keeping me from anything. I am not missing anything, and have...have nowhere to be. If you do not want me to go any further, I will leave, I do-"

"No, that is not it! I just do not want to be a bother. The truth is, I rather enjoy your company." Her bold statement brought a rush of color to her cheeks. She mentally slapped her forehead. _What! Why did I say that? What must he think of me?_

Eirk's step faltered as her words sunk in. _What? Surely I did not hear correctly_. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, seeing her discomfort. he allowed himself to fully take in her appearance. She was beautiful, that was unquestionable; she was tall, standing a few inches shorter than he. He could see that her hair was dark, but in the moonlight it was hard to tell its exact color. Her skin was fair, but in the cold of the evening her cheeks had turned a rosy complexion, making her all the more attractive. But her eyes, oh God, her eyes. Nothing he had ever seen had prepared him for the beauty her eyes held. They were the color of the sea after a storm, a blue whose color was so pure any name it was given would tarnish it. He found himself glancing in her direction every few moments to admire her. But he quickly banished the thoughts from his mind. _**Don't be a fool**, _he berated himself_**. She will never want you. How could she?** But she kissed me, remember? Twice. **Yes…once to save her own life and the other to thank you for saving her. Mere courtesy and nothing more**. _He stole another look at her, her head down in obvious shame for her sudden outburst. _But she enjoys my company… She enjoys my company. **But, wait…remember what happened last time someone enjoyed your company? Or are you quick to forget that little incident?** _It felt as though a stone had fallen to the bottom of his stomach. No. He had not forgotten. The memory of his past rejection came to him, deflating his hope and painfully reminding him that the woman next to him, or any other woman like her, would never be his.

"Is something wrong?" Her question brought him out of his reverie; she looked at him with concern in her eyes. Had it been that obvious that his mind was elsewhere?

Erik smiled at her, shaking his head. "No. I was just thinking about...it was nothing."

"Now that just isn't true, is it?" He began to glare at her, but upon realizing that she was smiling he relaxed his frown and began to say that she was yet again correct. But before he could tell her so she stopped walking. "Here we are."

Looking up, he saw a brick building, two stories in height. There were two windows on each side, one on top of the other. It did not escape his attention that the windows on the second floor of the building were lit. He thought about how different this community was compared to the one where she had appeared from. What had brought her so far from her home? He had noticed the slight package she carried, and while it looked oddly familiar he could not place its origin.

Alexa turned from the building to look up at him, meeting his eyes once again. She was at a loss for words, not wanting to say goodbye, but not wishing for him to disappear into the night, either. It had been so long since someone had gone out of their way for her, and there was something about him that drew her to him, something that rang out in her heart telling her not to let him leave. Knowing that there was no way to approach the subject without seeming amoral, Alexa gave up her pride and obeyed her heart. "Please, will you come up with me?"

The shock that spread through his body left Erik immobile. How could this be happening? _What_ was happening? As the initial disbelief receded, Erik thought about the situation that lay before him. He should say no. If not for common decency, then for the fact that he could not build his hopes up when he knew that they would be crushed by rejection and disappointment. However, he could not ignore the draw he felt for the woman before him. Glancing between her and the building, he knew that he could not live with himself until he knew whether or not she was asking him because she felt obligated, or because she truly desired his company.

As Erik contemplated his circumstance, he realized that he truly had nothing to loose, for as Alexa had been making her way home, Erik had been leaving his forever, having made the decision to walk into the Seine and drown. Had she not run into him he would be nothing more than a bloated corpse, floating towards the ocean and away from the life he had come to despise. Praying to the God he had long ago forgotten that she would dispute his decision, he held on to hope as he answered her.

"I had better not. You have had a very trying evening, and need to rest. No. I will bid you good evening, Mlle. Miklos, and be on my way." He took her hand and kissed it, looking up into her eyes one last time. Turning to walk away, he knew that it was for the best. If he had gone up, he would have seen a world that held no room for him, a home where he would never belong.

"Please?" Her voice made him stop and look back to her. Could it be?

"Please. I have someone I would like for you to meet. Oh, he will be so glad to meet you, you must come." All hope that had returned to him died as she spoke of her suitor. **_You fool. Really, though. Is it that surprising? A beautiful woman alone is a rare thing indeed_. _Why shouldn't she be married, or engaged, or whatever it was that she happened to be with this Romeo in her apartment._** He very much wanted to flee back to the recesses of his home, to barricade himself from the world again, or to drown himself and rid the world of his existence. But something in her eyes would not let him leave. He realized that she would not let him say no, and resigned himself to one night of intense jealousy before he ended it all. _It's just one night. _He finally nodded his head, "You win."

Her smile lit up her face as she opened the door for them. "Oh, good! Luka will be so glad to see you! We do not get many visitors, so he might take a few moments to warm up, but do not let that dissuade you. He is really very intelligent, and kind, and, well, I just know that you will love him!" He smiled at her jubilant ramblings about the young man in her apartment, secretly consumed by jealousy for the life he would never have. _This is a mistake. _Erik sighed to himself. _Why do I do it to myself? Why? _

She stopped walking, and unlocked a door on the second floor. She held the door open for him, following him into her humble abode. He looked around and was quite surprised at what he saw.

The apartment, as spacious as it was, was essentially bare save for a few meager furnishings. It opened into a large room that was bordered by doors, two on the left wall and one straight ahead. On the right, a hallway opened adjacent to the kitchen, where a small table stood with four wooden chairs. The kitchen had a stove, a sink, and a few cupboards, but nothing more. In the living room there was a single chair, slightly smaller than a love seat, resting before an unlit fireplace with a beautiful but worn blanket draped over it. Nothing overly impressive, yet it had a comforting appeal to it, making him that much more interested in the breathtaking woman who had weaseled her way into his life. But as he continued to look around, it was the walls that truly caused his breath to catch in his chest as he directed his gaze upon them.

The walls were covered with large, expansive murals, from the flooring up onto the ceiling. Flowering meadows and green pastures stretched out before him, their roots seemingly impregnated into the floorboards. Large fields of wheat seemed to blow in the wind, bending at the stalks in supplication to the clouds above them. In the distance, Erik could make out a small lake surrounded by a magnificent field of wildflowers. Set off a ways from the water's edge sat a small cottage, and near the home stood a small tree with the initials SSS carved into the trunk.

"Luka painted them." Her voice brought him out of his daydream, and he pulled his gaze away from the walls to look into her face, now gazed over with nostalgia as she admired the art.

"Hungary?" he asked.

She nodded her head, looking from the walls to his face. "He did this right after we came here, so that we will never get homesick." She walked past him to the mural, and began pointing things out to him. "This is the cottage where I was born, were I grew up. And this," pointing to the tree beside the humble little home, "is the tree that my father planted the day he married my mother. He said that as long as it bloomed, so did his love for her." She was stunning in her reverie of home, her eyes misting over in euphoric bliss.

"Beautiful," he said, looking at her. She looked back at him, and blushed as the double meaning behind his statement became apparent.

"Come, make yourself at home," she said offering him a chair from the kitchen. "Luka? Come out here, Luka. I have brought a friend." She turned to face the stove and began to heat water for tea. Noting that she and Erik were both still alone, she called out again, "Luka, come here right now. I have brought your medicine and you need to take it right away." _So that was what was in the parcel. I wonder how sick her Luka is if she had to go out in the dead of night to retrieve his medicine._ "Like I said, he is very shy at first, but he is very-" Alexa was cut off as she heard a floorboard creak, but upon looking Erik could see no one. "Come out, Luka, it is alright." More creaking of the floorboards told Erik that her Luka was shifting his weight, hiding behind the walls of the hallway, making no further efforts to move from his hiding spot.

"Luka, I will not say it again."

Erik looked to Alexa as she stood by the fire, her hands crossed irritably over her chest. She stood looking past Erik where the hallway joined into the kitchen, and Erik saw a soft smile spread across her face as he heard the floorboards creak once again. He turned in his chair, ready to face the man who had this woman's heart.

He was never prepared for what he saw.


	2. 2

**A/N...**sorry for the update delay. There were a few changes I wanted to make, so if you have already read chapter two, I encourage you to do so again. The changes might be subtle, but I feel that they needed to be done. If you notice them, then brownie points to you!

Thank you to all of my reviewers...I LUFF reviews, so they were absolutely appreciated. You have been very supportive, and I have been thinking of you as I have been trying to get this chapter together.

Hope you enjoy, and please, please, please review!

Thank you!

Beautiful Revolution

* * *

No one was ever prepared for when they met Luka.

Before him was no strapping man as Erik had assumed, but instead a little boy, of four or five. His left hand held on to the wall, displaying his shyness and distrust of Erik and preventing him from seeing most of the child; only part of his left side was visible. His hair was disheveled from sleep, and his eyes were those of Alexa. He was undersized for his age, but was not unhealthy as some small children are. His skin was much darker than that of Alexa's, but he was still fair. Strong cheeks and a rounded jaw made him look like the ancestors of far-away princes, the kinds that are spoken of in fairy tales. Erik sat there, not believing what he saw…_a_ _little boy!_ He smiled at the child, trying to compel him out of the shadows, but Luka just looked back at Alexa, his large blue eye reflecting fear and betrayal. Seeing the child act so oddly made Erik uneasy. He could not place it, but there was something about his demeanor and the pleading look in his eyes that seemed oddly familiar.

"It's alright, honey, come on out." Slowly the little boy looked at Alexa, then at Erik, then back at her, his eyes giving away the fear of showing himself. "Its alright, he is a friend." Never loosing the trepidation in his glances, Luka emerged from the shadows of the hall, and Erik tried with all of his might not to let his face reflect the complete and utter shock that spread through him.

The ravaged flesh that spread across his innocent face was like fire floating on the ocean. His right cheek was covered in disfigured flesh, red and mottled tissue that began just below his nose and reached up the right side of his face to stop slightly above his eyebrow. It appeared to Erik that it circled around his eye like an oversized patch, not marring the skin to the far right of his eye but focusing instead on the area below and slightly above it. _Christ._

Erik's head swam as he continued to observe Luka, not knowing what to think. He couldn't believe it. His entire life had been based around the fear and disgust that his face had instilled, and here was this child, this little boy, who was loved and wanted, everything that he had never been. Jealousy was replaced by jealousy as he tried to imagine the life that he could have had if he had been born into Alexa's world, with her love and affection soothing the stings that the world so effortlessly inflicts. _Christ_.

Luka, who had so perfectly hidden the right side of his face while clinging to the wall, now hung his head before Erik, clearly ashamed of his face. Erik could now see that in his right hand he held onto a stuffed bear, whose white fur was covered in small patches of red and green where it had been torn from being passed down generation to generation. Slowly he brought up his left hand so as to hug the bear tighter to his body, conscious of Erik's intent gaze directed on him. The traces of empathy began to ebb into Erik's embittered and resentful heart as he looked at Luka, an emotion he had never, in his entire life, been able to feel. The emotions that dictated his life had always been born out of hate, jealousy, and sorrow, reflecting his anger at not being accepted by others, by not being understood. But as he watched Luka clutch the tiny teddy to his heart for comfort and protection, he finally realized what he had been reminded of when he first saw him hiding in the hallway. _He reminds me of… me. _Encouraged by this internal revelation, Erik pushed himself to talk, to show him that he could be trusted.

"Hello, Luka. It is very good to meet you." Erik's smile went unnoticed as the little boy continued to stare at the ground. He looked back at Alexa, who just nodded her head, urging him to go on. Glancing back at Luka's bear gave Erik an idea, and he anxiously rose from the chair he had been sitting in, and walked over to kneel directly in front of the little boy. _Please let this work_. "My name is Erik…does your friend have a name?"

Luka looked up. Unsure of what to do, he looked over at Alexa, who smiled as she nodded to him. "Bela." His voice was barely a whisper, his eyes returning to the floor.

"Bela. That is a good, strong name. My bear's name is Marcel, and he is hopeless." Two blue eyes slowly made their way from the ground and found Erik's, listening to his every word very intently.

Alexa watched the situation in wonder. Who was this stranger before her, this man who before had seemed so withdrawn and reclusive, who now talked to children of lifeless companions stuffed with cotton?

"Can I tell you a secret?" A nod from the little boy encouraged Erik to continue.

"Alright. But you cannot laugh when I tell you, promise?" Another nod was his response.

Looking back at Alexa, Erik leaned into the little boy's right ear and whispered something to Luka, who had turned his eyes back to the ground as Erik drew closer, hesitant to have someone be so near his face. Alexa watched the two, not able to hear what Erik was saying. Watching Luka's face remain indifferent as Erik continued to whisper disheartened Alexa; after two years of secluding him from the nightmares of the world, she had hoped that she would be able to create a friendship between the three of them. But she took into consideration Luka's inability to open himself up to people freely, and a part of her believed that he would be able to sense that there was something about this man that was different. _But how can I know that?_ she thought, suddenly recognizing that she had no right to claim that this man was any different than those, the wicked and malicious, which had destroyed their lives. _But then again, I have never been wrong before_…She quickly pushed the memories that were flooding her mind away, understanding that there was no sense in living in the past. Knowing that there was nothing to do but hope, she said a silent prayer for the two before her.

As Erik continued to speak to him Luka continued to stare at the ground. It was not until after Erik pulled away from the little boy to look him in the eye did Alexa see Luka's features break in to a reserved smile, which quickly spread to a large grin. He raised his eyes at the stranger, who then said, placing his hand over his heart.

"I swear."

The sound of laughter resonated through the little home, and Erik was glad to see that the boy had warmed up to him. He had never been around children, and had not been much of one himself, and was thankful that his talent as a story teller had allowed him to concoct a tale of a bear that tripped over his feet and created disaster wherever he went. He looked back at Alexa again, and shrugged his shoulders at her. This produced one of her cheerful laughs, echoing along with Luka's. But Luka's laughs soon turned into hacking coughs, causing Erik to turn and look on his slight frame with confusion, and Alexa to remember what had taken her out of the safe confines of her home in the first place.

"Okay little man, come take a seat." She walked forward and grabbed the package from the table, removing a small bottle from inside.

Luka glanced back at Erik as he walked towards the table, climbing up to sit in the chair Alexa had previously offered Erik. She shook the bottle and retrieved a small glass cup from a cupboard above the sink. Pouring some of the hot tea into the cup, she opened the medicine and mixed in a small amount, along with water to cool it.

"Here. Drink it all, okay?" The little boy looked up at her, trying to see if she would bend and let him drink only half of the abhorrent concoction. Interpreting the pleading eyes that beseeched her own, Alexa shook her head.

"Okay?..." Luka looked to the ground as he nodded, then reached out to take the cup from Alexa.

"Thank you. It will help you feel better, and besides," she had gone off to put the medicine above the sink to keep any accidents from spilling the precious liquid, "the sooner you drink it the sooner it is gone. And, once it is gone, you will not have any more to drink."

This seemed to please Luka, for he smiled at her and looked down into the cup before quickly draining its contents, cringing at the taste as he handed it up to Alexa. She rinsed it out and filled it with more water for him to drink before sitting down herself, which he gladly took to clean his mouth of the sour flavor of the medicine. He drank all of it, and upon finishing it he began to look over at Erik, who had now taken a seat on the other side of the table, as if using the furniture as a weapon against the situation playing out before him.

_I am not alone,_ Erik thought_.** Well, of course you aren't, you idiot**. **There were bound to be others like you**. But he is just a child…**so were you.**_

As Alexa continued to prepare tea for Erik, he suddenly became painfully aware that the little boy was looking at his mask, and watched as he realized that it was on the same side of Erik's face as his scar was on his own. An awkward silence filled the room as the three sat there, none knowing what to say. Erik cleared his throat, but that did nothing to inspire conversation, so he turned his gaze back to the murals. Looking at them again, they seemed to be more alluring than his previous impression implied. The vitality of the paintings became more apparent to him, and it truly seemed as if the flowers were moving to the caresses of the wind.

"Did you really paint these?" he said, not taking his eyes from the frescos that graced the walls of the paltry little home.

"Speak up, Luka." Erik turned to look at Alexa, and realized that the little boy had nodded his head, still not confident enough to find his voice.

"Yes."

Erik looked at Alexa, who simply shrugged her shoulders and smiled at him, as if to say 'give him time.' _Ugh_.

He cleared his throat again before continuing. "Well, they are very good." Looking across the table at Luka, he was pleased to see that he had caught his attention again. "_Very_ Good. I do not know of any one who could paint even half as well as you. They truly are beautiful."

Watching Luka, Alexa decided that more was needed to get him to come out of his shell of solitude. "Luka why don't you go get some of your other sketches to show Erik, hmm? I am sure that he would love to see them."

Seeing the eager nod from Erik, Luka caste a side glance to Alexa and scooted off of his chair to disappear down the hallway.

"He really is quite brilliant." She sighed, bringing the tea in and setting it down before Erik. He noticed that she had taken none for herself, and cautiously looked into the mug.**_ The kid drank it, you fool_**. _Oh_. He took wary sip before he let himself savor the unusual, refreshing taste of the strange tea.

"You see? I just knew you would like him!" She tried to keep her attitude light and amiable, knowingly trying to avoid the questions that were to come. But upon seeing Erik's unreadable face, her blithe attitude disintegrated, replaced by the incessant fear of the rejection she had become so accustomed to.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Erik's voice gave nothing away, unsettling Alexa slightly. _God, please help him understand. Please. _

She sighed again, but this time it was laden with the bitter memories that come with continuous rejection, and the apprehension that this man before her, whom she had rested her last ounce of hope in, would turn out like all the rest.

"I didn't want you to have any… misconceptions…about him."

She looked up at him, hoping that he would understand. She had never been comfortable explaining to people why she kept his face a secret. Her biggest fear, besides hurting Luka through her foolishness, was that people who found out would think that it was because of her own shame rather than her concern for Luka. She knew too well what the world could do or say to hurt him further, and she had dedicated her life to eradicating that element from his life. But each time she tried she had failed, and Luka was the one who had to bear the burdens of her mistakes.

"Misconceptions?" Erik's voice was barely audible, not wanting Luka to overhear the conversation should he return to the room.

_You were supposed to be different_. Alexa wanted to cry out of despair. Why did society have to care so much about appearance? It reflects nothing about the person. _Nothing._ But no one could see past it. _You were supposed to be different_. Frustrated with the cruelty of man, Alexa took a deep, raged breath before looking Erik straight in the eye.

"Yes, _misconceptions_. Most people, upon hearing about his _abnormality_, recoil in horror after hearing of such an existence. They tuck tail and run, not realizing that he is a person, a _child_, and that '_it'_" she spit out the word like poison on her tongue, "is, in fact, a brilliant little boy, with _feelings _and_ emotions_, who had absolutely no control over the way that he looks. You will have to forgive me for not telling you, because obviously I was a fool for thinking that you would not be so shallow as to judge a book by its cover."

The fire in Alexa's eyes startled Erik. The vehemence that he saw made him wonder about the sincerity of her words, and he was left speechless upon realizing that she was very serious. As she stared at the table, not wanting to look him in the eye after rebuking him so brutally, he could not help but laugh to himself. Her eyes shot up and bore holes into his soul, but his laughter continued.

"Have you never, in the whole, oh, I don't know, _two_ hours that we have known each other, wondered as to why, exactly, I wear a mask?

The bluntness of the question stunned Alexa. She thought about how she had approached him, replaying it in her head. She had not noticed it at first; with the kiss she had just assumed that his skin was cold. _Very cold_. She had thought about the mask after she turned to look at him but had not dwelt on its existence. She shook her head because, after thinking about it, she could honestly say that she had never wondered about his reasoning for it.

Watching her shake her head enraged Erik. _How could she lie like that? She can't honestly think that I believe her! Of course she damn well wondered. Why the hell wouldn't she? _But as he was about to respond to her obvious lie, they both heard the floor boards creek and looked up as Luka padded into the room, holding a rather large folder.

Looking at Alexa one more time, Erik turned his attention to the little boy who would change his life forever.


	3. 3

_**A/N…**Hello, all! _

_A few things that I would like to address that have come up in the reviews (which I absolutely adore and appreciate, so thank you to all of you wonderful and supportive readers.):_

_-Luka is not Erik's son…sorry, ladies! _

**Nade-Naberrie**: _I am sorry to say that I have **not** read Susan Kay's Phantom. When you said that my story was reminiscent of her novel, I didn't really know how to take it…A compliment, I hope? But for the record, my story is based on ALW's Phantom of the Opera, and there is particular emphasis on the 2004 movie's portrayal of Erik (his looks, his attitude, etc.)._

_THANK YOU! to all reviewers who have supported me in my story. The reviews keep me going, so thanks, from the bottom of my heart._

_-I have been reading Moving On by ashanti01, and noticed that there is also a character in her story named Luka…**NO** connection whatsoever, and the name similarity is completely coincidental. I had established my character long before I realized that the name Luka was circulating in other fics, and when I spotted it I wanted to clarify that I am not copying her in any way (although I would have good reason to because her story is brilliant ). I have my reasons for his name being Luka, and they have nothing to do with the Moving On story._

_That being said, here are some explanations about the character names:_

_Alexa means Guardian of Man in hungarian_

_Luka is a derision of the Hungarian Lukacs, meaning Light. _

_Okay, I'm kind of nervous about this chapter because it was giving me a bit of trouble. _

_Please, please, PLEASE review after you read. i need to know what you think...Please. Don't be shy._

_Beautiful Revolution_

_ps...there are a few Hungarian terms used...their definitions are given at the bottom. okay, i am done now, i swear!

* * *

_

Luka stood by the doorframe, clasping a leather portfolio, frayed from age, to his chest. He looked between Erik and Alexa, insecurity again dictating his actions. Seeing his hesitation as he entered the room Alexa replaced the confusion that marked her face with a smile and motioned for him to come closer.

Luka looked at Erik, then back at Alexa as he walked forward. But instead of sitting in the chair that he had previously occupied, he climbed into Alexa's lap, his legs dangling over hers. Alexa in turn put her arms around his waist protectively, preventing him from sliding down, and placed a light kiss against his distorted cheek as Luka opened up the portfolio. He began to pull out pieces of paper and hand them to Erik, who watched the situation in reserved silence, his thoughts continuing their assault on his perplexed mind. Just who the hell was this girl, who showed no fear or disgust in the presence of such deformity? He thought back to his wretched childhood, if you could call it that, and remembered the beatings, the scorn and disdain at the revelation of his wretched visage, so similar to the unmasked child before him.

Erik looked down to the papers being given to him and was not surprised to see that the artwork before him was no less impressive than that which graced the walls. Tiny birds with dappled wings and bright eyes stared up at him, as if they would hop off the paper and soar about the room. Erik looked at Luka, who had been watching his face intently, and smiled.

"Why don't you put it on the table, so he can see them?" Alexa whispered into Luka's ear, trying to guide him out of the solitude he was so accustomed to.

Luka didn't say anything but did as she asked, pushing the folder towards Erik. Erik smiled at him and pulled out another drawing, carefully placing the one he had been looking at next to the tattered leather case.

Erik was startled by the next sheet of parchment, a portrait of Alexa so accurate that it could have been a daguerreotype. The eyes held the same compassion and beauty, but he noticed that in the drawing she did not smile. He wondered if this had been a drawing Luka had done from memory, for in the brief time that he had known her Alexa rarely lost the radiant smile she so frequently wore. It was then that Erik considered the idea that perhaps behind her happy face there was something more; a dark and hidden past that was not as happy as he had assumed. _After all_, he reminded himself, _not everyone chooses to live nearly destitute, with a scarred little boy as their only companion_. He looked up to her in an attempt to discern her thoughts, only to see that she was not looking at her portrait, but rather was staring out the window in the kitchen, her attention caught by something that lay on the other side of the glass. When he looked down again, a new picture was before him, Luka having pulled out another drawing from his collection. A port with numerous shipping vessels and burly seamen throwing ropes and crates about their vessels gilded the paper.

"Lookit," Luka leaned over the table, pointing to the charcoal water that caressed the parchment. "See? It's the Danube."

Hearing the young boy's confident voice surprised Erik. A good, strong voice, no longer quiet or insecure, resonated in his ears. Alexa looked from the window down at Luka, brought out of her daydream by his openness. She smiled to herself and gently placed a kiss atop his head. _Good_, she thought. _We're getting_ _somewhere_.

Erik looked at the picture again. He could not place what part of the Danube it was, and took a guess as to where the picture was drawn. "Austria?"

Luka looked at the picture again. "No. This one was from when we were in Budapest, huh Neni?" Luka looked up to Alexa to make sure that she was nodding in agreement, and smiled back at Erik when she did. He pulled out another sheet, saying, "See, here's one from Austria." A landscape of a river and its coast flowed before him, flowers blooming on the shore as a small boat floated down the current.

"So it is." Erik smiled at Luka again, looking at Alexa for some sort of explanation.

"We passed through Vienna on our way to France." Alexa explained, seeing Erik's confusion.

"Yep, we went on a boat, huh, Neni?" Another nod from Alexa was his response, who had taken to looking out her window again. "We were on it for so long and Nagybácsi(1) László…" A loud bang ended Luka's sentence, and both he and Erik looked to Alexa for an explanation. But her thoughts had not been upset by the noise, her gaze never leaving the window.

Erik quickly glanced to the glass to see what had caught her interest, and saw that a tiny ashen bird had perched onto the windowsill, its body angled into the windowpane. It hopped about the sill, flapping one of its wings while the other dangled helplessly at its side. _Broken_, Erik thought to himself, seeing the distorted wing._ It's as good as dead. _But as he thought this, Alexa, her eyes never leaving the bird, slowly picked Luka up and set him on his feet next to the chair and stood up, touching Luka's cheek as she walked to the window. She pulled the edges of the frame upwards in slow, intentional movements so as to not startle the bird.When the window was opened, she reached her hand out, slowly, and cupped the bird in her palm. But rather than fighting her, the bird, a mourning dove, simply cooed in pain and allowed itself to be lifted into the warmth of her hand. Without saying anything to either Erik or Luka, Alexa walked across the kitchen, past the hallway and its frescoed walls, and into the farthest room along the left, all the while whispering words of comfort to the little bird.

The door was left slightly ajar as Alexa made her way through the room, and Erik could see that it was a bathroom, with nothing more than a sink and a large brass bathing tub. Upon seeing that she was coming back, Erik looked back down to the table, glancing at Luka, whose attention had never left the broken creature in Alexa's hands. She returned to the seat, a bundle of towels in one hand and the dove in the other. She looked at Luka and sat back down, allowing him to lean into her side to look at the bird.

"Be careful, he's very frightened right now." She watched as Luka gently pet the dove's little head, its eyes closed in response to the slight pressure.

His hand hovered over the bird for a few moments, then he withdrew, asking, "Is it going to die?"

"I don't know." She looked down at the shivering little body, gently lifting its wing and assessing the damage. She could feel its tiny heart hammering against her palm, and wondered how it had come to be so broken and alone. She looked over to Erik, who shrugged his shoulders slightly. Looking down at Luka, she smiled reassuringly. "It's up to him…it just depends on how hard he is willing to fight."

Erik watched in rapt attention as she gently wrapped the tiny bird in the tattered cloth of the towel, humming softly as she nursed the wounded creature. She would fold the corner of the towel over the bird's slight body, and rub gently, back and forth, back and forth, then take the towel away and replace it with her own hands, guiding her fingers around the broken wing. She looked up, and searched around the room, trying to find something that Erik could not guess at. Craning her neck to look behind her, she found what she was looking for and stood again, this time reaching with one hand into the cupboard to bring down a large glass bowl. She put the bowl onto the table and centered the little bundle, snuggling the bird in it tightly.

"What has happened to you? What brought you so far?"

Erik wondered the same about the woman before him. What could have happened to her that would bring her nearly a thousand miles from her home, with a deformed little boy as her only companion. Surely someone as beautiful as she had been given other opportunities in life. She could have discarded the child somewhere along the road, or even left him in Hungary. Why had she committed her life to one of servitude where anyone else would have fled the responsibility? He could not understand.

Erik returned to the stack of drawings before him. As he leafed through the pile, he came upon several pictures that were all of the same landscape; a small hill covered with wildflowers similar to those on the wall, with a small pond and meadow spreading out across its base. One right after the other, each illustration the exact copy of the one before it. The only thing that changed from picture to picture was the skyline. While one would show vast rolling clouds, another would illustrate an open sky, and there were several with a solitary, opaque orb centered in various positions across the heavens. Erik guessed that the latter of these were nightscapes because several minute specs marked the page, which he assumed to be stars. Try as he might, he could not understand the reasoning behind the repetitious behavior.

Turning to the pages after these, he looked down at the face of a woman whose acerbic expression and dejected eyes alarmed Erik. He wondered who this was, but as he stared at the page, he began to see a slight resemblance to Alexa. The facial structure was the same, except that this woman's face was rounder and not as lean. They shared the same cheeks, but where Alexa's eyes were bright and captivating this woman's were downcast and uninviting. Her forehead was lined with wrinkles and her lips were pursed into a thin frown. _Sisters, maybe?_

Slightly shaken by the stark contrast in the two women, he flipped through the remaining pages, eager to see what else he could discern about them. A sunflower, a butterfly resting on a rose wet with dew, and several more portraits of Alexa passed before him as he skimmed through the collection, looking for something out of the ordinary. He came upon another portrait, an old man with a full white beard and Alexa's benevolent eyes, smiling kindly up at him.

"Nagyapa.(2)" Luka whispered. Startled by the small voice beside him, Erik looked up from the drawing to find that Luka had lost interest in the bird and now stood next to him, staring down at the portrait with forlorn eyes that betrayed the sorrow that beat in his heart.

Alexa turned her attention slowly from the dove to Luka's crestfallen face, and without looking at the drawing immediately understood what had upset him.

"My father," she explained, looking into Erik's eyes with the same hurt that reflected in Luka's despondent stare. But in her eyes Erik saw anger and hate behind the grief, something that was missing in the little boy's gaze. Erik nodded in understanding and looked down to Luka once again. Tears had pooled in his eyes but he refused to let them fall, holding them back with the strength that Erik understood all too well.

The silence that followed was ended abruptly as Luka began to cough, and as his lungs fought for air Alexa held onto him, supporting his slight frame as the coughing assaulted his lungs. But his coughing did not desist, leaving Luka gasping for a breath that would not come. Alexa looked to Erik, who had been watching the situation helplessly. "Please, he needs water. There are cups above the sink..."

Erik quickly rose from the chair and filled a cup with water, giving it to the little boy. Not knowing what to say, Erik crouched next to the two of them, and watched Luka drink. Hesitantly, he moved his hand up to rest on Luka's back and began to rub it, soothing away the pain that was gathering in his chest. Alexa looked down at him and smiled, but Erik quickly turned his gaze away from her and back to Luka. The coughing had subsided, but his breathing was still shallow and forced.

Alexa moved her hand to his chest. "Are you okay?" Luka nodded in response, still unable to speak. "Okay. Come on, time for bed," Luka nodded as he drank from the cup, and after he had finished drinking he put it down on the table and walked towards the hallway. But before he got there, he stopped to look back at Alexa.

"I'll be there in a minute, darling. Go on, now." Luka remained where he was, and looked from Alexa and then up at Erik, who had stood up and was now hovering awkwardly behind Alexa's chair.

"Will you come back?"

Erik was taken aback by the question, not knowing what to say. He looked at Alexa, expecting to see her abhorrent reaction to her child's request, but found instead a smile beaming up at him, and the glorious sound of her whispered response.

"That would be nice."

Erik looked back at Luka, and forced a smile upon his determined lips, having no intention of keeping his word. "Of course I will."

Luka smiled, a bright and cheerful grin that eradicated any _misconceptions_ about him. "Okay, then. Goodnight, Erik." He turned around to walk down the hallway, but stopped suddenly, and looked back at Erik again. His smile was gone, and he looked at him with what Erik understood to be worry; an apprehension that he would not return. Luka stood there, rooted to the spot for a few moments, working up the courage to bring himself out of his self imposed isolation. Then, without warning, he ran over to Erik and threw his arms about his waist, clinging to him with a desperate strength.

The shock of what happened stunned Erik and Alexa alike. Neither expected the little boy before them to do what he had just done, and both remained motionless in disbelieve. Alexa, the only person whom Luka had ever trusted, sat in shock at the bravery of the child who had never known a loving touch, a gentle caress save for hers. Erik, who had been forced to grow up when he was but a child, stood rigid with shock at the little boy latched to his leg in such an emotive fashion. He could not understand the reasons behind Luka's sudden display of sentiment, and did not know what to do. He looked at Alexa with shocked eyes, silently pleading for direction. But all she could do was stare back at him, her breath caught in her throat, too anxious to see what Erik would do to say anything. _I have to know…If he does this, he does it on his own, _she told herself_. No more lies. _

Erik slowly lowered an arm around the slight shoulders, patting them in comfort and uncertainty. Alexa sighed, and smiled apologetically at Erik, seeing that he was obviously not used to such affection.

She stood up and walked over to Erik's side. She paused, and allowed Luka the time to let go on his own. As he did so she reached down to offer him her hand, which he obediently took. She looked down at him and smiled as he looked back to Erik.

"Alright, little man, off to bed." Luka turned around, Alexa's hand guiding him away. She looked back over her shoulder at Erik, "Until next time, then?" He smiled, and she smiled back to him as she nodded. "Good. Please, wait here, I will be right back."

With one last glance from Alexa, Erik watched as they disappeared down the hall.

As soon as they had gone, he quietly opened the door and left, the echo of the dove's soft call deafening the sound of the door shutting behind him.

* * *

definitions: 

1 Uncle

2 Grandfather


	4. 4

"_Thou blind man's mark, thou fool's self-chosen snare,  
Fond fancy's scum, and dregs of scattered thought  
Band of all evils, cradle of causeless care  
Thou web of will, whose end is never wrought  
Desire, desire ! I have too dearly bought,  
With price of mangled mind, thy worthless ware  
Too long, too long, asleep thou hast me brought,  
Who shouldst my mind to higher things prepare.  
But yet in vain thou hast my ruin sought  
In vain thou madest me to vain things aspire  
In vain thou kindlest all thy smoky fire  
For virtue hath this better lesson taught,—  
Within myself to seek my only hire,  
**Desiring nought but how to kill desire."** _

_ -Sir Philip Sidney

* * *

_

He stood on the bridge overlooking the Seine, watching the reflections of the moon ripple across the river. One jump, one fall, one moment and it would all be over. No more memories, no more sorrow. The pain of the past lifetime would be washed away by the tides of the broken water below him, and he would be free from the chain that bound him to an anchor of bitter nostalgia that had anchored itself in his heart and drowned out the voice of hope.

He stepped forward, drawing closer to the stony edge. _Just one jump, _he thought_. Just one_. He stepped onto the ledge and paused, sighing deeply. After a few moments he began to pace back and forth, and the tears that he had held back for so long fell down his cheeks, freed from the imprisonment his soul had condemned them to. But he did not care; not any more.

_Is this what it's come to?_

But as Erik continued to think about the situation before him, the choice he had to make, something inside pulled him towards life. **_You call this life? You aren't even human, you monster. Where do you belong?_** Erik stopped pacing and closed his eyes. _In Hell. _

Looking again at the water, Erik fully understood what he, in his complete and utter solitude, was about to do. His head had fallen to stare at the ground, but his heart turned heavenward, cursing the God who had let his life become so pitiful and desolate._ Damn you! How could you do this to me?_ His whole life he had lived with the knowledge that it was his face that drove people away, poisoning and killing every hope he had inside of him. He would never know kindness because of it.

He had thought that time would heal the wounds of his heart, but instead they had only replaced his feelings of rejections with an emptiness that ate away at his soul and destroyed all aspiration he had of ever being considered human. If Christine would turn him away, what hope had he of being accepted in the world that so easily judged and condemned without ever looking at the person inside? Looks were everything, and if you had none then you had nothing. The harshness of life was far too great for him to face and here he was, prepared to end it all. His foot slowly rose and hovered over the edge of the bridge, suspended dangerously above the water.

_Until next time…_

He slowly opened his eyes to stare up at the cloudless night sky. The moon, in all its glory, illuminated the city, its alabaster hue a stark contrast to the ebony blanket of stars that lay behind it.

_Until next time…_

Erik sighed, hearing Alexa's voice ripple back through the city and echo in his ears. He lowered his head to look down into the water only to find that the moons reflection sat still on the river's surface, not a wave or ripple within it. Looking up into the sky, he sighed at the moon and returned his foot to the pavement.

_I hate you_, he shot towards the heavens as he made his way back to the darkness of his home, his resolve to end his life broken by the light that shone down on him.

* * *

Walking down the narrow hallway, Alexa and Luka stopped before the door to his bedroom. She gently nudged him inside and followed him in. 

"Come on, in you go." She drew back the blankets and waited for him to climb in before pulling the heavy bedspread around his shoulders to protect him from the cold of the night. "Goodnight darling."

"Uh huh." He whispered weakly, sleep taking over his enervated body. "Neni?" Alexa had started to turn to leave, but hearing his questioning tone she turned to face him, worried about what his question would be.

"What, kedves?"

"Is he really going to come back? Because…um… remember those ladies and…and they didn't come back, and, um… no one else came back and I was wondering if he was like them or if he was going to come back like he said."

She walked back to him and bent down to kiss his forehead, smiling at him. "I think he will, Luka. I really do." She tucked the blanket around his shoulders, and kissed his cheek again. "Goodnight, my darling."

"Goodnight Neni. Neni?"

She smiled as she stopped, and once again turned to answer his question.

"Why does he wear a mask?"

The smile slowly fell from Alexa's face when she remembered the anger in Erik's voice as he had questioned her about it earlier. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered their quarrel, and she regretted calling him shallow; he had implied that there had been something wrong with his face, although he had not directly told her. She looked over to Luka, and sighed.

"I don't know, but he wears one for a reason, and need to respect that. Hm?"

"But his mask is on this side," he said, pointing to the scars that covered his right cheek.

"I know."

"Well, do you think that he is maybe like this? Like me?"

"I don't know Luka, but I want you to listen to me." She walked over to him and kneeled by his bedside, leaning into the mattress to whisper in his ear. "Don't ask him about it, alright? Okay?" He hesitated before nodding in agreement, and Alexa knew that that was not what he had wanted to hear. "When he is ready to tell us about it he will, but you will not mention it to him." She softened her tone and kissed his cheek. "If he is like you, then he is like you. That doesn't change him, and you know that. We must not pay any mind to it; pretend like it doesn't exist. Okay?"

"Okay. Goodnight." Alexa kissed his forehead again and rose, and as she walked away she could hear him struggle against the coughing that was trying to force its way out of his chest.

"Night, Luka."

She closed the door behind her as she left the room, and prepared herself for Erik's continued questions. She was not anxious to continue their previous conversation, but feared that it might be inevitable. What Luka had said rang through her mind. _What if he _is_ scarred?_ _That would explain his behavior, I suppose. But what other reasons could he have for the mask? _She had never heard of people covering their deformities before, but now that she thought about it, it made sense; to hide the thing that would condemn you in society's eyes was a natural response. _If I can do it why not he_**? Because yours is not external, that's why. **

She pushed the thoughts out of her head, and replaced her pensive frown with a smile as she turned the corner into the kitchen. But looking around she did not see Erik, and could hear nothing except for the gently cooing of the dove.

She sighed, the burden of betrayal weighing down her heart as she realized that he had left. Crestfallen and cheerless, she began to make her way around the table, dragging her feet in dejected silence as she gathered the dishes and washed them, putting them away in their rightful spot. _I should have known. Damn me, I should have known._ She was going to have a hard time explaining this to Luka. He had never spoken to anyone that early. _Not even me_.

She berated herself for inviting him in to begin with. _Why would he be different? _She sighedleaning her forehead against the wall in total hopelessness_ God, why do I keep doing this to him? To myself? _She remembered how in the past, as she would meet and make friends with the women in the market and invite them to meet her Luka, they would shrink back in revulsion and run away screaming obscenities so cruel that even thinking about them caused a chill to run down Alexa's spine. A solitary tear slid down her porcelain cheek. _You were supposed to be different_.

A low and somber rustling brought her out of her thoughts, and she looked to the table to see the dove hovering in the bowl, its feathers puffed out about its shattered body. Hearing the bird, she turned her attention to it and carefully gathered a handful of water into a saucer, holding it before the bird. Hesitant at first, the dove finally realized Alexa's intentions and drank. When it had finished Alexa lowered the water to the table and reached out to stroke the bird's back. Its breathing had become slow and deep, the shock of its broken wing weakening its spirit. She let the tears flow freely as she calmed the dove, whispering to it words of comfort and hope.

"Ne add fel…verekszik kicsi egy, verekszik."

* * *

**Hungarian Trasnlations:**

**_Kedves_**: my darling

**_Ne add fel_**: don't give up

**_Verekszik kicsi egy , verekszik: _**fight little one, fight.

* * *

A/N...So, what do you think? 

This chapter has me very nervous...i really hoped that you like it. _PLEASE REVIEW_. You have no idea how much i need your reviews on this one.

Beautiful Revolution


	5. 5

There were a few subtle changes i made to this chapter. Nothing major at all, and i wonder whether or not they are even noticable. But I just neede to make them, so i did! If you spot one, i'll give you a cookie!

Oh, and for those of you who read chapter five on saturday and were kept from reviewing, i also encourage you to please go back and review this chapter, for my sake. I really truly appreciate them and i missed not hearing from some of you who were no doubt prevented from giving your opinion by the quirk in the system. So please, if you were not able to review on saturday, do so now. Please? Thanks.

Beautiful Revolution

* * *

Hello, all. Thank you for the wonderful reviews and support. I really appreciate it...seriously...you have no idea.

a few things that have come up in the reviews...

No, i am not Hungarian. But Alexa is, so i have had to do my research for her character. Alexa is speaking Hungarian, and Luka speaks Hungarian too. i use a translation service which has been very helpful. The way i figure it is if you are in a country where the native tounge is not your own, you would still use your native language in private. does that make sense?

It does take place after the fire (which is why he is so despondant and feels so alone.) But patience, Grasshopper...all will be explained in time. :

Um...that seems about all i can say about that, except for another BIG THANK YOU to all the reviewers...i love you guys...

This chapter is short, but it needed to be done. i hope to have chapter six written soon, and i promise that it will be longer..._much_ longer. Okay? Okay!

* * *

Her tears spent, Alexa wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, catching the hem of her skirts and brushing away the tears that had pooled onto her chest. The dove had sung itself to sleep with its forlorn cries, and Alexa now sat at the table with the weight of her shattered life pulling her down. _I don't understand_, her heart cried. _Oh, God, I don't understand. What did we do?_

She searched the room for answers, hoping that she would find the sign she had been praying for. But it didn't come. It never came. _God, what do we do?_ She knew that her prayers for a happy life were pointless; it was too late for that. Now all she could hope for was a sheltered life for Luka, for the strength to protect him from the world that she knew awaited him. At this internal revelation she felt the familiar sting of tears threaten to break the stoic barrier she had so fragilely created, and screwed her eyes tight against the cruel, bitter world.

She laid her head on the cold wood of the table, cooling her burning cheeks. _What do I do? _

She took a deep haggard breath and stood up, making her way back down the hallway and into Luka's room. She leaned against the doorframe as she watched him sleep, his weak body curled up on his side and his arms drawn tightly across his chest. The blankets had slipped down, and Alexa quietly walked to his bed, adjusting them to once again cover his body. She brushed the hair from his eyes and, placing a gentle kiss on his flawed forehead, left him to his dreams, quietly closing the door behind her.

She went past the kitchen and into the living room to blow out the candles that had illuminated the empty room, and felt her tired body being pulled down by the welcoming advances of a respite that had eluded her for so long. She looked down at her clothed body and decided that sleep was more appealing than a nightgown, and without pause Alexa grabbed the tattered cover that lay sprawled across the chair and wrapped it around her cold shoulders. Looking around the room once again, she slowly sat in the chair, drawing her knees up so that her feet rested against the faded material. Dragging her hand across her red and swollen eyes, she began to feel the whalebone crush against her ribs; but her tired body did nothing to relieve the awkward pain. She stared into the empty fireplace thinking how wonderful it would be to have a fire again. Closing her eyes, her mind wandered to the life that once had been; to all of the simple things she had taken for granted, to all of the joys of life she would never again experience. Alexa cursed these thoughts from her mind, telling herself that there was no hope in dwelling in the past.

_I have Luka_, she reminded herself. _I have him_. Her last thoughts were of the little boy who slept in the next room, and her worries were suppressed by the knowledge that no one would harm him as long as she had breath in her body. The impenetrable silence that invaded the room lulled her to sleep, and her troubled thoughts were ended by the dreamless oblivion that removed all memories and bitter reminders of a past that had haunted her for years.


	6. 6 Edited

_Hello, all!_

_I am sorry for the delay! It was terribly mean of me. My life has been crazy with a capital C, but has mellowed down quite a bit. I shall try to not let it happen again. Again, I am so very sorry._

_That being said, THANK YOU! to all the reviewers. I really appreciate you all, and I can't begin to put my thanks into words. Your reviews make my day and keep me going. I really do love hearing from you...getting feedback rocks my socks!_

_This chapter nearly killed me...I wanted it to be just right, and every time I touched it it just didn't seem right. I hope you are pleased with it, and **please please please** let me know what you think!_

_Okay...enough said, I think. So now I present to you Chapter Six_

_Thanks again for all the fabulous support!_

_Beautiful Revolution_

_ps...I told you that this chapter would be long :P

* * *

Alexa was awakened by the sound of Luka's wracking cough and slowly pushed the faded quilt off of her tired body to go see to him. She looked to see what time it was only to remember that there was no longer a clock above the mantle. Rubbing her palm against her tired eyes, she sat up in the chair, letting her legs fall to the floor and stretch out of their cramped position. But the sound of Luka made her quickly get to her feet, and she winced as her joints cracked back into place. She went to the kitchen first, grabbing the bottle of medicine and filling a cup with water, and then went into his room. But when she got there she found him bent over on the floor, unable to catch his breath due to the intensity of his coughing. Alexa quickly set the medicine and glass on the ground and ran over to him, pulling the blanket off the bed and wrapping him with it. She felt his forehead, and instantly withdrew her hand at the heat of his fever._

"Christ, your burning up. Here," she reached for the water and held his head up as he tried to drink, supporting his chin in the palm of her hand; but he choked on the water before he could swallow, and tears streamed down his face as he fought for the breath that would not come. He was shivering violently, his face ashen with fever. Alexa pulled him to her, one arm across his back and the other across his torso, knowing there was no way to ease his pain.

"I'm cold, Neni," he cried quietly into her shoulder, "so cold."

"Don't worry, honey, we're going to the doctor," she whispered into his ear as she gathered his small body into her arms, cradling him on her hip as she moved out of the bedroom and made towards the door. She went to the chair and grabbed her blanket, wrapping it around him as she threw open the door. Locking it behind her she flew down the stairs and out into the cold night street, following the path back to Dr. Myriel.

* * *

The moon shone down on the cobbled pavement beneath him, dancing in the water that had gathered between the stones. Erik had no idea what time it was; the darkness of the night and position of the moon revealed nothing to him, and he reminded himself that it did not really matter. He made his way to his home in silence, with no companion but his own troubled thoughts.

He realized now that, with Christine, his love had turned into obsession. He had hoped that in her he would find someone who could look past the deformity and accept him as he was. But his hopes had been shattered by his own doing; the basic need to be loved had shut out the voice of reason, and in his tempestuous passion he had driven her away. In her rejection what was left of his tattered soul had died, and after a year of empty days and restless nights he had found himself unable to bear the weighted pain of life. And so he had left his home this evening for what he had thought to be his last time, ready to end the heartache and misery that he knew so well because he could no longer face the world alone. But as he prepared to say goodbye to the world forever, Alexa had come, pulling him away from his suicidal mission. _Why now?_ he thought. _Why again?_

He found his mind straying to the beautiful woman whose image now plagued his thoughts: the curve of her waist, dark hair pinned at her neck, eyes that reflected the very depths of the ocean. Thinking of her brought a torrent of burning questions that seated at the front of his mind, and he felt a growing anger build up inside of him. She had used him, he realized, whether she knew it or not. He saw now that the only thing she had cared about was the boy; she would have treated Erik no differently had he been anyone else, so desperate was she to find a companion for her son. And though he should have been grateful for the small comfort of being treated as a man and not a monster, he knew that the motives behind it were tainted with selfish preservation.

But as soon as the thought entered his mind he knew that he was wrong and he brushed it aside; she had nothing to gain in what she was doing. She was hurting herself as much as Luka, losing not only the ability to trust in others but, inevitably, the trust of a little boy who through her attempts at friendship with others was only being shown the ignorance and contempt of the world. He could all too easily imagine the reactions of his predecessors, those whom she had trusted to accept Luka but had failed. Experience had taught Erik to expect the disgust and repulsion that accompanied his unmasking, but there was no way Luka could understand what he had done to merit this behavior. He knew that the child would interpret their reaction as being merited, to some wrong he had unknowingly committed that made him an abomination to the human race. He knew.

Her selfless protection of her son was unfamiliar to Erik, and he once again found himself reflecting on his contemptible childhood. The betrayal of the mother he had never known came to his mind; how she had distanced herself from him in every way possible, treating him like a disease that followed her about in innocent naïveté, not understanding the contempt in her voice, the hatred and disgust in her every glance. But Luka had the love of a mother who did not see the face but rather the heart that beat inside. She loved him, scars and all.

Based on the meager furnishings in the home Erik guessed that they did not live comfortably, despite the respectable neighborhood and elegant, if not outdated, clothing that she had worn. The condition of the furniture, the chipped wood of the table and the faded chair that sat before an empty fireplace, all told him that what little they did have had more than likely belonged to several people before they had come into her possession. He noticed that she had not offered a spoon when serving the tea, and the walls were bare save for the murals. The only thing he had seen that could have alluded to any worth at all was the small vial of medicine.

Soon Erik turned the corner that led to his home, but rather than standing in a dark and sleeping street Erik found himself facing a window that glowed in flickering candlelight. He had expected to see the street completely void of life, but when he turned the corner he found himself faced with a dim light that burned behind a window too clouded from age and dirt to give him a clear view of the interior room. _Myriel…_

The doctor's office, whose window now illuminated the night, sat on the road opposite Erik's flat. A little bespectacled man, Jean Myriel prided himself in being able to relate to the everyday people who passed through his home. On the rare occasions when he ventured outside in the day Erik would see the old man through the open door, sitting at a desk or standing beside a patient. Erik had heard rumors surrounding the doctor, stories about a tragic past that included the loss of his entire family in less than a year's time. It was said that the poor man had almost died from grief, but instead of succumbing to the pain he had found solace in his profession. It was as if by healing those around him he was somehow making up for his inability to save his wife and daughter.

The small brick home that had been transformed into a sanctuary for the sick and ailing masses usually bustled with business as people came to seek out his medical opinion, but Erik could hardly understand what would keep the doctor up at this late hour. He did not know the time but had no doubt that it was well into the early hours of the morning.

He shook his head and turned his back on the office, but as he did the wind caught the wooden signboard that hung above the doorway, causing it to bang against the wall in a loud succession of taps that drew Erik's attention away pavement and up to the warped sign. Looking up at the oak marker, his eyes widened as realization dawned on him…_ The medicine._

Erik finally remembered where he had recognized the parcel. He stopped walking, unable to move his feet from the irritation and anger of not identifying it earlier. _I'll be damned_, he thought. Now that he realized it he could not believe that he had failed to placed it's origin before.

How could he forget the symbol of a lily of the valley, it's flowering heads dropped in humble supplication, whose stem wound around the flower and turned upward, into the tail and body of what became a dragonfly. It had been on the label of the bottle that contained the medicine for Luka, and it was painted on the signpost that hung above the doctor's workplace that stood erected not half a minute's walk from Erik's home.

He always wondered about the meaning behind the odd but beautiful symbol, and was drawn to its simple complexity. At first glance it appeared to be nothing more than a flower with a doting insect hovering dutifully above it, but upon closer inspection it showed that the body of the insect was indeed a part of the flower, and the stem that connected both the bloom and the dragonfly wound it's way in an intricate design whose loops and turns were impossible to trace.

Erik leaned against the wall, not believing the coincident that fate was playing out before him. Why was this happening to him? Why, when he had been so close to ignoring the pain inside of him, did providence interfere and throw his anguish back in his face?

* * *

"Dr. Myriel! Please, doctor, open the door!" Alexa sobbed as she pounded her clenched fist against the door. She paused to give him a chance to answer her incessant calls, and looked down at Luka, whose shaking had not quelled and whose skin burned white with fever. She held onto him tighter, cursing the doctor for his slowness and damning the sickness that was stealing Luka's life.

"Jean!" She had begun to pound the door again, but was silenced when she saw a light come on behind the opaque window. The door creaked open, and an elderly man with tired eyes stared out from behind the door. His expression of annoyance dissipated as he looked between Alexa, whose tear stained cheeks were red from exertion, and Luka, whose whole body shook and dripped with sweat.

He quickly moved out of the way, giving Alexa room to enter. "Come in. What happened?"

"I don't know,"Alexa spoke over her shoulder as she walked past the doctor, through the waiting area, and into a small bedroom where she carefully laid Luka down, covering him in blankets and quilts. He had stopped coughing, but his breathing had become shallow and broken. "He took the medicine and went to sleep fine, but then," her voice broke as Dr. Myriel gently pushed her out of his way and felt the weak heart of the little boy lying before him. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. "But then, I woke up and heard him coughing, and when I went into his room he was on the floor, and he was shaking and his forehead was burning up."

The doctor felt his forehead, and shook his head. "Go get cold water, and a rag."

She quickly left the room and walked the few steps to the sink where she began filling a bowl with water from the tap.

"He complained of being cold," she explained to him from the kitchen as she did his bidding. "But his forehead was on fire."

"He has a fever. Come, bring the water."

Entering the room again, Alexa looked down at Luka as she returned with a large basin of freezing water and a tattered cloth which she quickly dipped into it and placed it, sopping wet, into the outstretched hands of the doctor.

"Thank you, Alexa." He looked up to her as he reached for the cloth, and noted her haggard appearance. "Maybe it would be best for you to wait outside."

"No. I'm not leaving him. I need to-"

"It was not a request, my dear. Now go, I'll be out when I'm done." He spoke with gentleness as he gently placed the wet cloth on Luka's forehead.

But she did not move and continued to look down at the sickly child that gently stirred beneath the doctor's healing hands. "Alexa, leave." He looked up then, and his features softened as he realized that she had not heard him, her full attention directed on Luka. He put his hand on her shoulder, making her meet his eye. "Please, go out and wait. Try to rest a while. You will do him no good fretting over him and wearing yourself out. _Go_." He returned his concentration to the little boy.

With a sigh she slowly turned and walked out of the room, pushing the door shut behind her. Once outside she leaned against the wall, fighting back the tears that now stung her eyes. _You can't do this_, she thought, turning her eyes to stare heavenwards. _Not_ _now_. Shaking her head, Alexa wiped away a dissenting tear that had escaped from between her dark lashes. She refused to let herself cry; she couldn't. Turning down the hallway she walked into the kitchen and turned on the water and, placing her hand underneath the faucet, watched as the clear rivulet slowly trickled over her outstretched palm. She brought a cupped handful of water to her face and dashed away her tears, but the anxiety that had been building inside of her would not be so easily dissuaded. She resigned herself to wait in the front room and pace, closing her eyes against the despair that threatened to overwhelm her heart.

From inside the room Jean Myriel carefully examined Luka, and the severity of the little boy's condition was becoming painfully obvious. _I should have seen him sooner_, he thought. But he had not known, and was now faced with the daunting task of reversing the damage that had been inflicted by the disease that now raged in the small child's body.

His gaze slowly drifted up to the disfigured cheek and an involuntary shudder shook his body; he did not think he would ever be able to comfortably look at that face; how Alexa lived with him everyday, having to look at it, was beyond his comprehension. But he had to remind himself that the face does not make the person, remembering that Luka was a brilliant child, the perfect little boy save for the deformity. Thanking God that the little boy had someone like Alexa to care for him, he chided himself for his unconscious reaction he returned his attention to the task at hand.

Alexa had left the door ajar, and as the doctor examined Luka he could hear her whispering something to herself as she paced anxiously around the room, but she was too quiet for him to make it out. Knowing Alexa as he did, however, he had an idea what it might be…

"_Apám ki művészet ban mennyország , megszentelt lenni tiéd név…"

* * *

_

Erik stood in the shadows, watching the building with intent curiosity. He had lingered a few moments across from the building for curiosity's sake, and soon he saw a shadow stir behind the glass. The silhouette, whom he could only assume to be the doctor, began to pace, moving across the room with an agility that surprised Erik. He did not know the doctor, but he had seen him before and suspected him of being at least into his seventieth year. Back and forth, back and forth he paced, the outline's hands occasionally brushing across his forehead before falling together to clasp behind his back.

After several minutes of watching Myriel Erik saw a second form appear, much smaller in stature than the first. The two talked for only a few moments before the former of the two figures slowly sank down, and Erik guessed that they had taken a seat in a chair. A hand rose into the air beside the seated figure, and rested on the silhouette's shoulder. He wondered what the second person had said to affect the doctor so. Whatever it was, it was not good news. He leaned against the wall, wishing he could hear what they were saying.

The two continued to converse with each other, oblivious to the hidden form that was watching them from outside. Suddenly the sitting person stood up, and walked out of site. A creak echoed through the empty streets as the door was pushed open, and Erik withdrew into the shadows of the alley away from sight. He heard the door close and heavy footsteps on the pavement, and slowly turned to see who had called upon the doctor at such an early hour.

Alexa looked up as she heard the door push open and stopped her weary pacing to walk towards the doctor. She kept her face straight, but her eyes betrayed all the fears that she felt.

"He's asleep."

Alexa nodded her head, her shoulders sinking slightly as she sighed. Slowly she sat down in the chair beneath her and put her hand to her forehead, pushing on the wrinkles that her furrowed brows had created.

The doctor took note of the dark circles that rimmed her dazzling eyes, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Alexa, go home. You're tired. You need to rest."

"No, I'm fine, really." She smiled up at him. "I'm fine."

"No you're not." She looked at him with pleading eyes, but he ignored her silent request. "Go home, get some sleep. You're no good to him if you can't even keep your eyes open." But her eyes still held their hesitance, and he sighed at her determined spirit.

"Alexa, go home." She looked past him into the room from which he had just come, where beneath a faded quilt lay the little boy whose heart beat with her own. "He'll be fine Alexa, I promise. Go home." He placed his hand on her back and gently nudged her to the door. "Go and rest. Come back after you've slept for a few hours or so."

"Thank you, Jean." She said in weary appreciation.

"Just _go_."

She sighed and walked towards the door under his gently guidance. "When should I come back?"

Dr. Myriel shook his head, not surprised that she wouldn't let the matter of Luka go for her own well being. He could see her now, sitting at her table watching the clock to tell her the time that he had appropriated for her to return. "When you've had more than a few hours of sleep. You look terrible, Alexa." He saw the pallor of her skin, the red that tinted her eyes, and knew that, for whatever reasons, her life was not getting any easier.

"But Luka...? What about-"

"Alexa, he needs to rest. And when he wakes up he needs to see that you are strong…he needs to see in you that there is nothing to fear."

Her brow furrowed slightly at his last comment. "He doesn't have anything to fear, though. Right, Jean? I mean, he'll be all right…?"

"I don't know if I can answer that, Alexa. He has a severe case of pneumonia, and his body is very weak. But his spirit is strong, like yours. We'll just have to wait and see."

Alexa nodded. Feeling a familiar sting behind her eye, she looked up to the rafters, forcing the tears that threatened her composure back into the well that she had built up in her heart. She embraced the doctor, who was caught off guard by her actions. She held onto him for several moments.

"Thank you, Jean," she whispered in his ear. "I'll come back as soon as I can. If he wakes up tell him I'll be right back." She let go, dreading the thought of Luka waking up and her not being there, of what he would think if she wasn't there for him when he needed her. But Dr. Myriel would not allow her to stay, and so she quietly walked towards the door to appease the doctor. "Goodnight, doctor." She paused as she pushed the door open to look over her shoulder one last time into the room that lay behind the old man, and quietly closed the door behind her.

* * *

The cold air bit into her skin as Alexa stepped into the street. But it was not the chill that caused her body to shiver. The dead weight of fear and dread knotted itself into her stomach, and she stood breathless and frightened, staring blankly at the ground below. As she turned to face the long walk home she could no longer fight the tears that assaulted her countenance, once so stoic and brave. Her shoulders trembled as she tried to restrain the emotions that overwhelmed her. But pain won the battle against strength, and she fell against the wall, holding onto the brick as broken, empty sobs wracked her body.

She forced her palm to her face, trying to suppress the cries that broke the silence around her. But it was to no avail, and her desolate wails resounded through the night. She let herself fall to the pavement, her back grinding painfully into the serrated stone as her weeping pushed her against the jagged brick. But she did not feel the pain that stung her shoulders, so great was the ache in her heart.

She cried for the life that Luka would never know, for the inescapable fate which condemned him to a life of fear and solitude. She cried for herself: for all that was lost

because of her, and for all that was yet to be taken away.

She cried for her past, and wept for her future.

Alexa pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned her arms into her thighs, cradling her tear-stained cheeks in the palm of her hands as she continued to sob. She did not feel the weight of a gloved hand upon her back as she continued to cry, ignoring the strange sensation that was traveling up between her shoulder blades to finally rest upon her arm. A gentle shake brought her head out of the shelter of her crimson skirts, and she found herself staring up at a white mask that glittered in the moonlight that shone down upon them both.

* * *

**A/N: Here are a few explanations from this chapter. **

**Dr. Myriel's name comes from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables:**

_The bishop of Digne, M. Myriel, is a much-admired clergyman whose great kindness and charity have made him popular throughout his parish. He passes on these same qualities to Jean Valjean and initiates the ex-convict's spiritual renewal by saving Valjean from arrest and making him promise to live as an honest man._

_**Hungarian Translation:**_

_Apám ki művészet ban mennyország , megszentelt lenni tiéd név_

_Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name_


	7. 7

Oh my god, I've finally done it. After over a year, I've finally written a new chapter. Since last Juy I've had to deal with some pretty intense health problems, and gave up on writing. But now I am pretty much back to my old self, and i didnt realize how much i missed it until i began writing again.

this is a very poor version of chapter seven. i was so anxious to get it out in public that it hasnt been edited...(HD, if you read this and would like to get back in the swing of things, let me know. i would love to hear from you.)

thank you all, and hopefully it wont be another year before i get something done :

Let me know what you think of it...i wrote it in about an hour and a half, so it probably isnt as good as it could be. all feedback is welcome, as i am a bit rusty :

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"Madame?"

Dumbstruck, Alexa stared up into the eyes that lay behind the alabaster mask. She was prepared for anyone but him. Not ever. And yet there he stood.

He continued to watch her, silently willing her to speak. But Erik didn't need words to understand that it was Luka. He was the only thing that could bring her to a doctor's office at midnight, the only thing that could reduce her to this.

She looked back to the ground as the reality of the situation hit her, and the anger of his abandonment hit her once again. Forcing herself to breath, to stop the tears that continued to fall, she began to stand.

"Please," her words caught in her throat, "leave me be."

Taking a deep breath, she wiped at her eyes fiercely. He did not move, and she laughed bitterly to the ground.

A gentle hand underneath her chin brought her head up, and as she met the concern in his eyes the sting of tears once again overpowered her resolve. The utter despair that had welled within her heart pooled over and cascaded down her cheeks, and her tears reflected silver in the moonlight. She pulled her head back away from his grasp, cradling her face between the palms of her hands to hide the tears that wracked her body.

At the slight pressure of his hand at her shoulder Alexa began to shake her head back and forth. Wrenching herself away from his grasp, she turned unsteadily to face this stranger so carelessly abandoned.

Decades passed between them as Alexa stared at Erik. When her shaking came to be too unsteady, Erik advanced to support her.

"No," she whispered as she stepped back from his hand. "I do not need any help from you."

Her voice quavered violently, and Erik could feel the skin on his arms prickle in anger. He stood there, unaware of what to do. His pride told him to turn and walk the few meters to his home, but he couldn't dispel the suffering she brought him to. Every movement of her body was painful, every glance from her eye held heartbreak.

She turned to walk away and took a few incoherent steps before he spoke.

"Until next time, then?" He spoke into the darkness

She stopped, looked weakly over her shoulder, and laughed. Empty and hollow, it filled the night with resentment and despair. Erik heard her whisper to herself incoherently as she shook her head at him and continued to walk.

He watched her amble from him, saw every feeble step she took. Her head was bowed and her shoulders turned down with the sorrow they carried, and the sight of it unnerved him. He felt the turmoil which she bore like a mist in the air; it penetrated the darkness and seeped into every corner and crevice of the night.

Alexa refused to look back at him, and instead trained her focus on the pavement. Shame and anger mixed together within her; embarrassment for being seen at her weakest, and irrational anger at the situation that played out before her. But thinking brought with it the memory of what caused her resentment, and the image of Luka burned in the front of her mind. A lump formed in her throat as she blinked back the tears that she had so unconvincingly conquered. There was a sharp pounding at her temple, and she pressed her fingertips against the pain that drummed in her head and forced reality back within her grasp

But it persisted, and soon she saw tiny white stars blur her vision. She swayed, and lost her footing. Rather than hitting the cold cobblestones that lay beneath her, however, she found herself supported by two strong arms.

Too broken to speak, Alexa leaned into him as he held her weight. Erik lowered her to the ground slowly, guiding her to the wall so she could lean back and rest. When her back touched the brick she slowly drew her body in, bringing her legs back into her chest and hugging her torso tightly. She rested her head against the top of her knees, and quietly began to rock back and forth.

Erik could do nothing but stand above her and watch, waiting for a sign of what to do. She was tired, and weak; exhaustion dictated every desperate movement, and stripped her of any thoughts of pride or embarrassment. When she said nothing, Erik crouched down and tentatively touched one gloved hand to her shoulder. Alexa looked up at him and tensed, but made no attempt to pull away. She just continued to sway in erratic and slow patterns, shutting her eyes tightly against the world.

They sat like this in silence, and after several minutes the tension between them slipped away. As Alexa's rocking slowed, Erik removed his hand and knelt beside her. Her eyes fluttered open and he looked down to meet her stare. Words failed, and stillness continued to surround them. But instead of worry and concern sat a hesitant indication of peace, and Erik touched moved his hand back to rest on her arm.

The feel of his touch brought comfort to Alexa, and she closed her eyes once more. The fear, the anger, the despair, and the pain surfaced as she felt the comfort of another. For so many years she had no one on which to depend when things became hard. There was Luka, who knew pain but did not understand it. For five long years, every negative emotion that Alexa felt had to be ignored to protect Luka. Everything he knew, he learned from her, and she would not be the one to teach him bitterness and despair. Forced into a position of comforter to others, Alexa built a wall of plastacine perseverance around her. She saved her tears for the cold nights before an empty fire, and comforted herself with fairytale lies of a better future. Now faced with losing her only connection with the life that she had loved and lost, there was no emotional mortar strong enough to keep the walls from crumbling beneath her. Beneath the darkness of her closed lids Alexa saw the empty life that awaited her in a world without Luka, and with that her face slowly distorted and creased into a suppressed sob.

Erik watched, and guardedly moved closer to her as her shoulders drew in and trembled. It wasn't until his arm encircled her back that he understood that she was weeping. Her silence turned to anguished cries. As she felt the pressure at her shoulder become heavier, and she was overcome with the urge to fight, to pull back from his embrace, but her heart refused to ignore the consolation she had so long been denied. She turned into him, and rested the backs of her hands against his neck as she cried into her palms, catching the flood of tears that escaped the confines of her once-stoic heart. .

Erik's hand tightened protectively on her back, the tension in his shoulders relaxing. He looked around him, scanning the streets. Soon his eyes fell on the darkened window of his flat, and he pulled away from Alexa to look into her swollen eyes.

"Come," he whispered.

She looked at him for a moment before nodding her head. In truth she doubted that she could stand, but it no longer mattered to her now. She was too tired to care, too worn down to fight. She watched as Erik gracefully rose to his feet, and slowly pushed herself up to stand beside him.

As they made their way across the avenue, the illumination of the doctor's window catching the pools of dew gathered in the cobbled street, Alexa looked to the sky. Faded crimson began to seep upward into the black horizon; daylight would be upon the city, and she felt her heart lift softly with the faded assure that night was nearly gone.


End file.
